Originally Posted by
MaxKts
Claiming to be involved in "interim negotiations" and at the end of two years throw PiBS in our face is not what I would call negotiating in good faith. Instead of calling them out, we continued to play ball with a team that never came to the game. At the same time we were being told by our team that everything was moving along and "productive"! We were also told that our engagement in "interim talks" would be looked upon favorably if things didn't work out as planned.
IMHO we should have pushed our chairs away from the table and walked out the second PiBS was dropped on the table. If everything we were being told was true, we should have had the upper hand at that point!
I already said management is not negotiating in good faith, anyone who's paying attention can see that. So I guess I don't understand your first sentence. Also, I don't recall being told that things are moving along great and being productive. I remember being told that management was dragging their feet, introducing ridiculous proposals, and direct dealing on VIPS. As for the interim talks, I thought we were told that the NMB may look favorably on that if our case ended up on their docket (my memory may be off but I thought it was something like that). Well, we haven't petitioned the NMB yet so how is that a strike against our MEC/Negotiating Committee?
Say we did "push our chairs back and walk out." Maybe it would make us feel good to hear that, but what does that accomplish? I don't think management is gonna quake in their boots and say "Oooohhh, the pilots are mad we better give them whatever they want." To them they would have just bought more time under the old CBA until we came back to the table. We have to negotiate, until we're legally allowed to undertake self-help. That's what the RLA says as far as I know. Throwing tantrums and walking out would solve nothing IMO.
The leverage we have is in us individually. When it makes more financial sense for FDX to finalize a CBA then to maintain the status quo, we'll get somewhere. Anybody else have any ideas how the MEC is supposed to "play mean" besides walking out of negotiations? Again, I'm asking an honest question because I don't have an answer. . .